About the Pride Month graphic:
The Rev. Theresa I. Soto is the newly called senior minister of First Unitarian Church of Oakland, California, and the author of Spilling the Light: Meditations on Hope and Resilience.
Dear trans*, non-binary, genderqueer and gender-expansive friends and kin: (and those of us whose gender is survival)
you are not hard to love and respect
your existence is a blessing
your pronouns are not a burden or a trial;
they are part of your name, just shorter.
some of our kin use only their names, where pronom
would be,
the names they are called. remember that
someone getting them wrong is not a poor
reflection on you, it is not your fault.
your body (really and truly)
belongs to you, no one else.
the stories of your body the names of your body's parts
your body's privacy
the sum of your body's glory.
it is not okay for anyone
to press their story of you,
back to the beginning
of your (of our) liberation.
we will find the people ready to be
on the freedom for the people way.
we will go on. no one can rename you
Other, it can't stick, as you offer the gift
of being and saying who you are.
mostly, though, your stories belong to you.
your joy and complexity are beautiful,
however you may choose to tell it (or not
tell it). some folks (cis) may take their liberty
for an unholy license. you are beloved. please
keep to our shared tasks of
healing
getting free.
by Rev. Theresa I. Soto from Spilling the Light (2019).
Alternate download formats for this graphic:
Small (600 x 777 px)
Canva Template
Related poems, prayers, and readings:
LGBTQ+ Glossary of Terms
More general info about Pride Month
Basic explanation of the celebration and history
"No Cops at Pride": How the Criminal Justice System Harms LGBTQ People
Read about the long history between the LGBTQ community and Police violence.
The Rev. Theresa I. Soto is the newly called senior minister of First Unitarian Church of Oakland, California, and the author of Spilling the Light: Meditations on Hope and Resilience.
Dear trans*, non-binary, genderqueer and gender-expansive friends and kin: (and those of us whose gender is survival)
you are not hard to love and respect
your existence is a blessing
your pronouns are not a burden or a trial;
they are part of your name, just shorter.
some of our kin use only their names, where pronom
would be,
the names they are called. remember that
someone getting them wrong is not a poor
reflection on you, it is not your fault.
your body (really and truly)
belongs to you, no one else.
the stories of your body the names of your body's parts
your body's privacy
the sum of your body's glory.
it is not okay for anyone
to press their story of you,
back to the beginning
of your (of our) liberation.
we will find the people ready to be
on the freedom for the people way.
we will go on. no one can rename you
Other, it can't stick, as you offer the gift
of being and saying who you are.
mostly, though, your stories belong to you.
your joy and complexity are beautiful,
however you may choose to tell it (or not
tell it). some folks (cis) may take their liberty
for an unholy license. you are beloved. please
keep to our shared tasks of
healing
getting free.
by Rev. Theresa I. Soto from Spilling the Light (2019).
Alternate download formats for this graphic:
Small (600 x 777 px)
Canva Template
Related poems, prayers, and readings:
LGBTQ+ Glossary of Terms
More general info about Pride Month
Basic explanation of the celebration and history
"No Cops at Pride": How the Criminal Justice System Harms LGBTQ People
Read about the long history between the LGBTQ community and Police violence.